


Fortress

by stationlittle



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 22:05:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7658473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stationlittle/pseuds/stationlittle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kasumi goes to see Jack after their trip to Pragia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fortress

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Mass Effect Friendship Week. From Jack's POV. A slur is used at the beginning.

Getting to bomb the place hadn't felt as good as she thought it would, but it was done. Something to put behind. The bitch cheerleader hadn't understood, and that was expected, but now Shepard knew. He knew what Cerberus had done to her, and that recognition, to know that she wasn't crazy, that was a small victory. A pathetic one, but still. Gotta take her win when she could find them.

 

And now the ship was silent, and Jack was on her back watching the metallic roof over her head, wondering when it would all end, when the pain would be gone.

 

"Are you alright?"

 

She jumped, turned around, ready to kick (to _kill_ ) but stopped immediately when she saw who it was. Kasumi. Dressed as per usual, her face obscured by her hood, standing near what passed for Jack's bed.

 

When Shepard had chosen the thief to go with them on Pragia, Jack had been somewhat relieved. During the trip, Kasumi had said very little, but her voice had been gentle. Jack had appreciated it more than she could say, but she couldn't tell Kasumi that.

She forced herself to stay calm and ignore the pounding in her heart.

 

"Of course I'm alright. Don't start pitying me now, because I don't need pity."

 

Kasumi hummed. "Still. It must have been difficult to relive all that. I knew Cerberus was evil, but to do this to a child..."

 

"Yeah, well. Tell that to the Cheerleader," Jack snapped.

 

Kasumi didn't reply right away. Jack glanced at her. She was looking around, as if it was the first time she had been there. Jack knew it wasn't. She wasn't really seeing anything new.

 

Finally, Kasumi turned around and stared at Jack, this time her eyes clearly visible beneath her hood.

 

"She doesn't want to see Cerberus for what it is. Not now. She's not ready. But she will be one day. She'll apologize."

 

Jack snorted. "So what, you see the future now?"

 

Kasumi grinned. "I just know people well."

 

Jack wanted to roll her eyes, but she found she didn't want to be cruel to Kasumi, so she only shook her head. "You're too hopeful and naive."

Well. She wasn’t always good at saying exactly what she wanted to say.

Thankfully, Kasumi just shrugged.

 

"Not everything is as black as white as we think it is. Sometimes people can surprise you," Kasumi replied.

 

For the first time since the conversation started, Jack thought about her words, not in relation to herself, but to Kasumi. She didn't know a lot about her. She knew she was a thief, that Cerberus had contacted her for the mission, that Shepard liked her, that she had had her own mission with Shepard and had come back looking sad but quickly bounced back. She was always moving around the ship, silent as ever, but she listened. She listened to people.

 

Jack realized her kindness wasn't fake. It was genuine, and yes, _people can surprise you_.

She sighed.

 

"Some people can, yes."

 

Kasumi smiled at her, and Jack almost smiled in return.


End file.
